duplicate

[noun, adjective doo-pli-kit, dyoo-; verb doo-pli-keyt, dyoo-]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR duplicate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a copy exactly like an original.

anything corresponding in all respects to something else.

Cards. a duplicate game.

verb (used with object), du·pli·cat·ed, du·pli·cat·ing.

to make an exact copy of.

to do or perform again; repeat: He duplicated his father's way of standing with his hands in his pockets.

to double; make twofold.

verb (used without object), du·pli·cat·ed, du·pli·cat·ing.

to become duplicate.

adjective

exactly like or corresponding to something else: duplicate copies of a letter.

consisting of or existing in two identical or corresponding parts; double.

Cards. noting a game in which each team plays a series of identical hands, the winner being the team making the best total score.

Idioms

in duplicate, in two copies, especially two identical copies: Please type the letter in duplicate.

Origin of duplicate

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin duplicātus (past participle of duplicāre to make double), equivalent to duplic- (stem of duplex) duplex + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsdu·pli·ca·tive, adjectivenon·du·pli·cat·ing, adjectivenon·du·pli·ca·tive, adjectivepre·du·pli·cate, verb (used with object), pre·du·pli·cat·ed, pre·du·pli·cat·ing.qua·si-du·pli·cate, adjectiveself-du·pli·cat·ing, adjectiveun·du·pli·cat·ed, adjectiveun·du·pli·ca·tive, adjective

Synonyms for duplicate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR duplicate ON THESAURUS.COM

1. facsimile, replica, reproduction. 4. See imitate. 9. twofold.

Antonyms for duplicate

1. original.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for duplicate

replication, photocopy, replica, duplication, imitate, clone, reproduce, replicate, mirror, copy, corresponding, duplex, equivalent, equal, same, twin, similarity, ringer, fellow, dupe

Examples from the Web for duplicate

Contemporary Examples of duplicate

He lost the bet on the twenty-eighth question, when a duplicate birthday turned up.
Portrait of the Consummate Con Man
John Lardner
May 17, 2014
Wayne has infused the whole operation with a spirit of joy and dedication that is stealth seasoning no one can duplicate.
The Texas Church of Beef
Jane & Michael Stern
April 27, 2014
And it does seem true that Bitcoins are very hard to forge or duplicate.
Inside Japan’s Bitcoin Heist
Jake Adelstein
February 28, 2014
Son of God is trying to duplicate the grassroots strategy that paid off for Gibson.
Will ‘Son of God’ Be the Next Grassroots Christian Blockbuster?
Myra Adams
February 19, 2014
Illegible handwriting and typos lead to errors and duplicate entries.
A Bipartisan Path to Fixing America’s Broken Elections
Michael Waldman
January 24, 2014

Historical Examples of duplicate

It might have been the parlor of the White Springs Hotel in duplicate, plush self-rocker and all.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
I want you to help me get them out, and not duplicate yours.
It Happened in Egypt
C. N. Williamson
He and Jenkins had duplicate keys to the desks, letter-box, etc.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
If you pass the physical test, perhaps you can duplicate my record.
City of Endless Night
Milo Hastings
Without a word he sat down also, in a duplicate of their pose.
Louisiana Lou
William West Winter

British Dictionary definitions for duplicate

duplicate

adjective (ˈdjuːplɪkɪt)

copied exactly from an original

identical

existing as a pair or in pairs; twofold

noun (ˈdjuːplɪkɪt)

an exact copy; double

something additional or supplementary of the same kind

two exact copies (esp in the phrase in duplicate)

verb (ˈdjuːplɪˌkeɪt)

(tr) to make a replica of

(tr) to do or make again

(tr) to make in a pair; make double

(intr) biology to reproduce by dividing into two identical partsthe chromosomes duplicated in mitosis

Derived Formsduplicable (ˈdjuːplɪkəbəl), adjectiveduplicability, nounduplicately, adverbduplicative, adjective

Word Origin for duplicate

C15: from Latin duplicāre to double, from duo two + plicāre to fold

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for duplicate

adj.

mid-15c., "having two parts, double," from Latin duplicatus, past participle of duplicare "to double," from duo "two" (see two) + plicare "to fold" see ply (v.1)). Meaning "exactly corresponding, that is an exact copy of" is from 1812.

1620s, "to double," from Latin duplicatus, past participle of duplicare (see duplicate (adj.)). Meaning "make an exact copy" is from 1640s (implied in duplicated). Related: Duplicating. The noun is first recorded 1530s.